History of Organic Farming in America
By Anneliese Abbott
Organic History
Articles
Over the past eight years, I've written many articles for Acres U.S.A. magazine, including an ongoing series of free weekly news articles that are available on their website. I am not making a complete archive of my earlier articles available because I wrote some of them at a time when my understanding of organic farming was still incomplete, and I inadvertently repeated some ideas that I've since learned are inaccurate. But here are some of my best articles that I'm happy to share online.
Here's the peer-reviewed journal article in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems that includes the results of my survey on the people and publications who influenced the organic farming movement. Based on a survey of 224 organic farmers in the Northeast and Midwest, this article covers the top authors and organizations that helped shape the organic movement in this region, while highlighting the need for further research and documentation of organic history.​
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The Indore Method of Composting
The Indore Method of Composting, developed by Sir Albert Howard in the 1920s, was the cornerstone of early organic farming. This article covers the scientific development of the Indore Method, including the influences of F. H. King, Selman A. Waksman, and the Rothamsted Experiment Station.
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Sir Albert Howard's original concept of "humus farming" involved composting all wastes--including human excrements--to create a closed system of nutrient cycling. This article covers the history of Howard's "Law of Return," including the contributions of Justus von Liebig and the growth of the chemical fertilizer industry.
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For His People: George Washington Carver and Organic Agriculture
George Washington Carver promoted composting, foraging, and diversified cropping systems to the impoverished Black farmers of Macon County, Alabama in the early twentieth century. This article examines Carver's background, experiment station work, and impact in the broader context of organic farming history.
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Feeding the World: Malthusian Ideas in American Agriculture
The idea that it was the United State's responsibility to feed the world originated during and after World War II. This article covers the history of neo-Malthusianism and concerns about population growth in the wartime and postwar US.
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Euell Gibbons: More Than Grape Nuts
Euell Gibbons is mainly remembered today for starring in a series of Grape Nuts commercials in the 1970s. But he was also almost single-handedly responsible for reviving interest in foraging wild foods and connecting organic farming to the environmental movement.